Victim
by SittingInACoffeeShop
Summary: The gang is excited to continue on with their normal lives since the defeat of XANA. Yet, all is not well. One of the ex-warriors is no longer at Kadic or even keeping contact. When they find out why, they realize he is not the same at all. Can they help him? Or will he become a lost victim of the abuse he's been put through? AU, in certain aspects.
1. Chapter 1: Where Is He?

**Summary:** The gang is excited to continue on with their normal lives since the defeat of XANA. Yet, all is not well. One of the ex-warriors is no longer at Kadic or even keeping contact. When they find out why, they realize he is not the same at all. Can they help him? Or will he become a lost victim of the abuse he's been put through? AU, Franz Hopper and Aelita's mother are alive.

 **A/N:** I am finally getting my life back together and picking up writing again. I know I have one unfinished story, and I still plan on finishing it. I just got off track with personal issues I have been dealing with, so, sorry about that.

So, I am sitting in my house at school drinking coffee. I am so excited to start writing again!

 **... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**

 **Chapter 1: Where Is He?**

Yumi awoke abruptly as her alarm clock rang obnoxiously next to her head. She slapped her hand on the device, shutting it up.

The Japanese girl let out a sleepy breath as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Although she was slow getting out of bed, she was ecstatic to start a new school year at Kadic. She had spent the Summer working in the flower shop at the Hermitage with Aelita and her mother making minimum wage. Although she had enjoyed her Summer with Aelita, Yumi was excited to see her other best friends again.

After showering and blow-drying her hair, she walked briskly into the kitchen and poured herself some coffee. She was in too much of a hurry to fix breakfast, let alone eat.

Just as she was walking out of the kitchen, her mother's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Yumi," Mrs. Ishiyama said as she poured herself and her husband some tea and coffee. "You have to eat something, dear."

"Mom-" Yumi started, but was interrupted.

"I know you're excited to see your friends again, but you have to eat something," Mr. Ishiyama said in a slightly grumpy manner, which indicated that her parents had just gotten into an argument.

Yumi obeyed by grabbing a banana. She waved it in the air over her shoulder as she walked out of the room.

 **... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**

Ulrich stepped off of the public transit bus wearing jeans, a green t-shirt, and his usual over-shirt. In front of him was the familiar building he had began calling home.

Kadic Academy was just the way he left it. He saw some familiar faces. Milly and Tamiya looked as though they hadn't aged at all since the year before. Herb and Nicholas looked only slightly different; the biggest difference being that Herb's acne had cleared up quite a bit, but he still held onto his nerdy qualities.

Ulrich saw William and they made eye contact. Ulrich no longer had the strong, sour feelings he held for him before. Yet, that did not mean he trusted him.

Ulrich nodded at him, and William returned the action before continuing his walk across the campus.

It was after this brief interaction that he laid eyes on another familiar face and he could not help the grin that formed on his face.

Ulrich adjusted the luggage he was carrying before walking closer to Jeremie, who was struggling with his own luggage.

The blonde genius was slightly taller and wore his usual conservative clothes. His glasses were the usual round, bold-rimmed style.

Jeremie stopped struggling as he heard Ulrich laughing behind him. He turned his head and straightened his glasses, playfully glaring at him.

"Nice to see you again too."

Once they were up in the dorms after obtaining their keys, Jeremie and Ulrich were pleased to find that their rooms were even closer to each other than the year before. Jeremie's single room was only three doors down from Ulrich's double room.

Ulrich had music playing as he unpacked while Jeremie unpacked in silence. Or, at least, as silent as move-in day could be. There were multiple people in the halls reuniting with friends, figuring out how to decorate their rooms, and carrying luggage. There was one student in particular who was outside Jeremie's door and arguing with Jim over how he specifically asked for a single-person room.

Over all of the commotional noise, two familiar voices could be heard. Jeremie lifted his head from the box he was hovering over, which contained only a few of his electronics.

"Yoo hoo, knock knock," Aelita said as Yumi rapped on the open door with her knuckles.

Jeremie stood up and beamed at them before they all three hugged.

Once they parted, Yumi smirked at the box of technology that Jeremy had been unpacking.

"Still an einstein, huh?" Yumi joked.

"Were you expecting any different?" Jeremie shrugged.

He seemed to have become less high-strung since XANA had been defeated. He had become accustomed to his nickname and had actually missed hearing it over the Summer.

Aelita giggled just as Ulrich walked in, holding a cord in his hand and staring at it in puzzlement.

"Hey, Jeremie, you think you could-" Ulrich began, but froze as he saw who was in the room.

"Ulrich!" Aelita cried as she hugged him just as she did Jeremie.

Ulrich returned the hug with a smile.

When they parted, he locked eyes on Yumi and fought the blush that was beginning to rise in his cheeks. Yumi suddenly leaped forward and embraced him. Ulrich's arms were frozen at first before he returned the gesture, the cord still in his hands, yet forgotten.

Aelita and Jeremie crossed their arms and looked at each other with a smirk.

Ulrich had gotten taller since the last they had seen him; he was now as tall as Yumi.

When they parted, Jeremie raised his eyebrow and said, "You were going to ask me to do something, Ulrich?"

"O-oh, yeah!" Ulrich stuttered.

He held up the cord with one hand and said, "I wanted to set up some speakers to go around the room along the ceiling so Odd and I can listen to our music with surround sound. Odd won't even be expecting it, but I know he'll love it."

Yumi grinned, already imagining how the spiky, blonde-haired teen would react upon seeing Ulrich's surprise.

"Couldn't the noise get you in trouble with Jim?" Aelita pointed out.

"Since when are we ever _not_ in trouble with Jim?" Ulrich asked.

"Good point," Aelita responded as Jeremie smirked. "I'm going to set up a few things in my room and then I'll be back down."

"Why are you even in a dorm, Aelita?" Ulrich asked. "Your parents live fifteen minutes away."

"I would have missed living here too much," Aelita shrugged with a smile. "My parents were just fine with me having the best of both worlds: living near you guys while also being able to visit home whenever I wanted!"

"I suppose that makes sense," Ulrich said. "Now we just need Yumi to have a dorm room."

"Yeah," Yumi laughed. "Try telling that to my parents."

Once Aelita, Jeremie, and Ulrich had finished setting up their rooms, they all gathered in Ulrich's room. Jeremie was standing on one of the beds, hooking up one of the speakers to the wall.

"He is going to enjoy this way too much, you know," Yumi said as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

Ulrich was staring at Jeremie with his hands on his hips and said, "Yep."

"I'm excited to see that little spiky-haired goof again," Yumi smiled. "I wonder if he's gotten any taller, like you, Ulrich."

"Doubtful," Ulrich said. "He's probably just as scrawny as always."

"Svelte," Aelita said, with her finger up.

Everyone laughed.

There was a moment of silence as everyone watched Jeremie work.

"Speaking of, where is Odd?" Aelita asked as she sat on Ulrich's bed. "Shouldn't he be here by now? It's getting late."

Sure enough, the sun was setting lower and lower in the sky by the minute.

"He's probably just running really, really late," Ulrich responded.

Aelita looked unsure, but tried to not worry too much.

"Are you sure you booked to room with him?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah," Ulrich responded, turning to face them. "I mean...I don't know if he booked to room with me, but why wouldn't he?"

Jeremie stopped what he was doing and turned his head. He made eye contact with Aelita and Yumi before furrowing his eyebrows at Ulrich.

"You mean...you haven't talked to him?"

"Well, it's not like I haven't talked to him _at all_ ," Ulrich responded. "I talked to him when he left in the middle of the semester last year."

"Any time after that?" Aelita asked.

"Well...no," Ulrich replied sheepishly.

There was silence in the room for a few moments before Jeremie said, "I was hoping you would have at least heard from him throughout the Summer."

"What do you mean?" Ulrich asked.

"We haven't heard from him either, Ulrich," Yumi said, concern lacing her voice. "We were hoping he was just neglecting his phone, but at least keeping contact with _someone_."

"W-well, he's still attending Kadic. I mean...he _has_ to be. He surely would have let us know if-" Ulrich said.

Now Ulrich's expression matched the others. He was really worried.

"I mean, he _did_ say he was coming back," Ulrich said, trying to reassure himself and the others.

Everyone was silent for a few moments before Jeremie said, "Let's go talk to Mr. Delmas."

 **... ... ... ... ... ...**


	2. Chapter 2: Dog House

**A/N:** This chapter has been ready, but I have been brainstorming just in case I wanted to add anything.

Thank you to those who reviewed! Thank you to the readers who did not review as well!

Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

 **... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**

 **Chapter 2: Dog House**

"What do you mean he isn't attending Kadic anymore?!" Ulrich demanded.

"Just as I said, Mr. Stern," Principal Delmas responded. "Odd Dellarobia is no longer attending Kadic Academy. I got a request from his father to remove him and I, of course, obliged."

"But...but-" Ulrich stammered.

"He can't just not attend school here anymore!" Aelita said, shocked, but finally finding her voice.

Mr. Delmas just stared at her, his fingertips pressed together, resting underneath his nose. It appeared as though he was listening, but there was nothing he could do about the matter. The gang knew that, but they were desperate for answers.

The grey-haired man sighed and said, "I'm sorry, kids, but there is nothing I can do. It is not my responsibility or duty to call Mr. Dellarobia and tell him his son should attend my school again."

Ulrich opened his mouth, but closed it as he heard the door to the office open.

"Daddy! I-oh..." Sissi burst into the office with a smile on her face, but it was replaced with a surprised expression. "Hey!"

"Hey, Sissi," Aelita greeted, though rather glumly.

It was still strange having Sissi treat them like her friends and vice versa. While they had all become friends, however, she still sported a big attitude.

She put her hands on her hips and said, "Hey, what's with the cold shoulder? I thought we were friends!"

"We are, Sissi," Jeremie said. "It's just-"

"As much as I wish you all would continue this conversation, I would appreciate it if you continued it outside my office," Mr. Delmas said, looking at them over his glasses.

"Uh, right. Sorry, daddy," Sissi said as the gang walked past her out of the office. "H-hey! Wait!"

Sissi followed her gang of new friends out of the office and shut the door. Mr. Delmas felt some sympathy for the group. After all, he knew how close they all were. Yet, it was out of his control, so he simply continued on with his paper work.

 **... ... ... ... ... ...**

"No way! Really?" Sissi asked, after hearing about the situation.

"Really, really," Yumi answered.

"Why?"

Sissi wanted all of the answers that no one else knew how to answer; they were also the answers that Jeremie, Ulrich, Aelita, and Yumi wanted.

"We don't know," Jeremie responded, looking at the ground.

Sissi did not know how to respond. It was strange that the spiky-haired boy was not returning to Kadic, let alone that he had not told any of his closest friends. She then looked out at the courtyard and noticed that there were no longer any students left outside due to the time of evening. Sissi looked at the clock on her phone and saw that it was 8:00 pm.

"I better head inside. It's getting close to curfew," Sissi said.

She started to head inside, but noticed Ulrich's demeanor. He was leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed, staring at the ground. His expression was that of puzzlement and seriousness. There was even a hint of anger as well.

"Ul-" Sissi began, reaching her hand out to him, but Yumi interrupted.

"He's fine," Yumi snapped rather aggressively.

The Japanese girl still did not trust Sissi around Ulrich, though, this feeling confused her because Ulrich was not even hers to begin with. The very thought almost made her blush.

Sissi fought the urge to glare and snap at Yumi, and turned around. Once Sissi was inside, Aelita glanced at Yumi. She caught her pink-haired friend's glance.

"What?"

"Nothing," Aelita said, resisting the urge to smile.

Jeremie put his hand on Ulrich's shoulder, causing him to look up.

"We will figure this out," Jeremie said, reassuringly.

"And maybe we do. That doesn't mean that Odd will come back," Ulrich said.

"Maybe not, but at least we will have figured this out," Jeremie responded. "We won't have to be in the dark anymore."

"Why the hell has he left us in the dark anyway?" Ulrich snapped. "It doesn't make any sense!"

Jeremie listened to Ulrich's angry burst and put his hands in his pockets. He closed his eyes, feeling more concern than anger, unlike Ulrich. Why _hadn't_ any of them heard from Odd in months? It would be one thing if it was just for the Summer, but since he had been gone? That was not like Odd at all.

"What do you think, Jeremie?" Yumi asked, concern lacing her voice.

Everyone was looking at him for answers now; even Ulrich had his eyes on him. It was part of being the voice of reason. Whenever there was a problem in the group that no one could piece together or make any sense of, Jeremy was the one to turn to. Perhaps it was because he was the most intelligent in the group. Perhaps it was the fact that he was the one that pretty much started their group of friendship in the first place when he turned on the supercomputer. Maybe it was because he had found the nearly-impossible way to materialize Aelita into the real world. Possibly it was all of these reasons. Jeremie was not sure.

He also was not sure why Odd was not there with them in that moment, and why he had not contacted any of them; especially Ulrich.

"To be honest...I'm pretty worried, guys," Jeremie said as he looked up at his friends. "I'm sure we'll find some answers, but...I'm worried about what the answer could be."

There was a moment of silence before Jeremie spoke again.

"I know that may seem like I'm just borrowing trouble but-"

"We understand, Jeremie," Aelita said. "We're all worried too."

"I'm not. I'm pissed," Ulrich said, crossing his arms.

Yumi narrowed her eyes at him as Aelita looked down at the ground.

"Well, we won't find anything out tonight," Jeremie said, straightening up. "We should all just go to bed and figure out our first moves tomorrow over breakfast."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Aelita and Jeremie began walking toward the doors, but Ulrich stayed where he stood.

"Need someone to walk you back?" Ulrich asked Yumi, receiving a smirk.

"And have you get a week of detention from Jim on the first week of school because you were out past curfew?" Yumi said teasingly.

"Good point. Still, text me when you get home."

"Will do."

"Get home safe, Yumi!" Aelita called after her.

Yumi waved over her shoulder.

 **... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**

Ulrich was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling. He could hear cars passing by on the street, the leaves on the trees rustling softly in the wind, and a door shut in the hallway.

These sounds were not nearly enough to drown out his thoughts.

He had lied when he told the others he was not worried about his best friend. Of course he was. Yet, he could not help but be angry as well.

Were they really that disposable? Sure, X.A.N.A was gone, but that didn't mean their friendship had to be over as well.

Ulrich rolled over onto his side so he could see Odd's bed. It was empty; even lacking sheets. It was just a bare mattress with the duvet folded at the foot of the bed, awaiting a tenant.

Ulrich sighed and rolled over to face the wall.

 **... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**

Mr. Delmas watched the television in his office the following morning. A hot cup of coffee let out a steady stream of steam. Jim, who had gone to fetch the cup of coffee, watched the television as well. They both held grim expressions.

"More accounts of child and teenage bodies being found throughout the area," the reporter said. "These findings are not only disturbing, but puzzling as well. While some of these cases have been solved, a majority remain a mystery."

The screen was switching between scenes of investigators bending down in grass, inspecting a crime scene. Almost all of the areas had yellow "DO NOT CROSS" tape.

"We ask that everyone keep their children in doors at all times until these events come to an end. I advise teachers to keep a close eye on their students, no matter what grade. The ages have so far ranged from eight years of age to seventeen years of age. If anyone has any information regarding these occurrences, please contact the police. We will have more information on these incidents as soon as-"

Mr. Delmas turned off the television.

"What should we do, sir?" Jim asked seriously.

Mr. Delmas sighed and looked at the picture on his desk of him and Sissi. He did not want anything to happen to the students at his school, yet the thought he absolutely could not bare was if anything happened to his daughter.

"Keep a close eye on all of the students," Mr. Delmas said. "I will be holding a conference to talk to all of the teachers about watching the students between classes."

"Won't that make some of the students suspicious?" Jim asked. "Or, don't you think it will worry them?"

"In my opinion, the more worried the better," Mr. Delmas said. "Especially for the mischievous ones in particular."

Jim could think of a few students right off the bat as soon as Mr. Delmas said that; one of them being Odd Dellarobbia, but that was just one student he did not have to worry about anymore.

 **... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**

Rain poured hard down from the sky and onto the ground. The drops pelted the tarps, tents, and campers. Hardly anyone could be seen outside in such weather. The only people who ventured outside were ones who sat under awnings and smoked cigarettes and cigars. Others were drinking liquor.

In front of a couple of the shelters were dog houses.

Four men were smoking, drinking, and talking underneath an awning attached to a camper. Occasionally they would laugh about something.

Next to this shelter was a Teardrop camper. A lantern was hanging up inside and could be seen from outside emitting light.

"Dumbass," said the blonde man with a gruff tone and slightly Italian accent. "If you would behave this wouldn't keep happening."

No response.

The man had a cigarette between his teeth, which added more odor to the already musky stench of the small camper. A small window was cracked open only a little, though not nearly enough to release the scent of blood, dirt, and smoke.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"You may still be a dumbass, but I feel like you were even less of one before I made you a Cager," he said.

No response.

A blonde boy with a purple streak in his hair sat on the floor on his knees with a blank expression. His eyes held dark bags underneath and seemingly no life. There were multiple cuts and bruises covering his body. Blood was dripping from a cut on his lip. There as also blood coming from both nostrils. The red liquid dripped onto his hands.

The black combat boots, black jeans, and dark maroon tank top he always wore were wet from the rain. The three stud belts that were always layered and hung loosely on his waist were in the blonde man's hand. There were specks of blood on the two belts that had the silver studs. The other belt had black studs, so it was not as noticeable, but surely had a decent amount of blood speckled on it as well.

The boy was still silent and staring blankly at the man's shoes.

"Tch."

The belts were tossed at the boy and they landed on the concrete floor in front of him.

"Put those back on," the man ordered. "Can't have you slacking on your uniform."

The boy obeyed. He stood up silently and put the belts back on his waist and they once again hung slanted partway down his left thigh. His outfit was once again complete. The shirt was too big on his malnourished frame per usual, but appeared even larger with the wetness.

"Get outside and into your damn house," the man ordered.

Once again, the boy obeyed and went outside. He crawled inside the dog house and pulled the tarp down like a curtain over the open area.

The men that were smoking and drinking barely took any notice of him. They were not ones to keep their Cagers in a dog house outside, especially on a rainy day like this, but they minded their own business.

The man grumbled and stomped back inside the camper.

For the short time he had gone back outside, the rain had ran some of the blood of of his bony frame. Though, there were still spots that the belts had whipped that were continuing to bleed.

The rain pelted the ground and the shelters hard. The men next door continued laughing.

There was a boy about his age staring at his dog house from where he sat underneath an awning at his own camper. His master was, of course, inside, and not allowing him inside as well.

Odd stared at the wall of his small shelter for a few moments before closing his eyes.

 **... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**


	3. Chapter 3: Missing

**Chapter 3: Missing**

"Another body has been discovered today. A woman was walking with her daughter when she came across what appeared to be a mannequin from afar, but upon getting closer turned out to be a body of a sixteen-year-old boy. Authorities were immediately called to the scene..."

Jeremie sat in the Wreck Room watching the television. He had not had too much interest in the mysterious deaths at first, but in light of recent events, he had been keeping tabs on it.

"There is one more hot spot that has been found to be worth investigating. It is in a neighborhood, and residents have shared suspicions."

The scene was reflecting on the lenses of Jeremie's glasses like two miniature televisions. A woman showed up on the screen, clearly being interviewed. She was describing a man that lived across the street from her, and was dubbing him as sketchy and suspicious.

"Suspicious of what, ma'am?" the reporter asked before putting the mic back in her face.

"Well...my main bet would be abuse."

"Abuse?"

"Why, yes! He lives with his son and nobody else. Yet, I have heard shouting coming from their house on multiple occasions, but just left it as their business for a while. I only thought to step in when I continued seeing the son with bruises and such."

"What did you do to step in?" the reporter asked.

"I never got the chance. They seemed to have just vanished!"

"Hey, Jeremie-" Ulrich said as he and Yumi approached the back of the couch.

Jeremie shushed him and leaned closer to the television.

"Wow, never seen Einstein so intent on the television before," Yumi mumbled to Ulrich.

Ulrich and Yumi both leaned down on the back of the couch on their elbows, watching the television as well to see just what was so interesting to the brainiac.

The interview with the woman was over and now it was just the reporter talking to the screen in front of a house that was taped off by police.

"Finally, it has been concluded by investigators that the resident of this house is Romolo Della Robbia and son Odd Della Robbia."

Ulrich, Yumi, and Jeremie's eyes went wide at their best friend's name.

"Both residents haven't been seen in months. If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of these two or on the murders that have been occurring, I urge you to please contact the police."

Jeremie did not waste another second and leaped off of the couch and ran from the wreck room, Ulrich and Yumi followed without hesitation. Students watched them, confused about the sudden disturbance.

Aelita was doing homework on her bed when there was loud, rapid knocking on her door.

"Come in!" she called.

In piled her three friends, out of breath and looking completely panicked. Aelita immediately sat up from where she had been lying down on the bed.

"What's wrong with you guys? What's the problem?" Aelita asked appallingly.

"Odd...on the television..." Jeremie gasped.

" _What?"_ Aelita gasped, jumping off of the bed.

"He's...he's gone missing..."

"What the-? What? What do you mean? How do you-?"

"It was on the news," Ulrich said, seeming to force himself to get his breath back and straightening up.

"He has been living with his dad in a residential area not far from here," Jeremie continued.

"He-he's been here? But...but I thought he lived in Italy!" Aelita said.

"Well, apparently that changed," Yumi said, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm-I'm so confused," Aelita said, starting to become rather upset. "And now he's missing? So, first we don't hear from him for forever, he moves here without telling us, and now he's _missing_?"

"It appears so, but that's not all. I heard something else on the TV before you guys got there," he said, looking at Ulrich and Yumi

The three listened intently. Aelita had her hands clasped together while Ulrich and Yumi's expressions were stony.

"They taped off that house to investigate not only their disappearance, but the murders as wel,l" Jeremie said. "It's now being treated as a crime scene for the murders that have been occurring."

Ulrich brought his head back, putting his hand to his forehead while Aelita put her hand to her mouth. Yumi's eyes widened and looked down at the floor.

"Th-they couldn't have...I mean Odd couldn't be another victim of..." Yumi's words trailed off, however, as the reality of the situation fully set in.

 **... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**


	4. Chapter 4: Retirement

**A/N:** There is a miniscule amount of gore in this chapter. So, just a warning for the ones that are even mildly squeamish.

 **Chapter 4: Retirement**

"He's no use to me anymore," came Romolo's rugged voice from the camper.

The window was open, so Odd could hear every word as he sat on the steps of the camper. The rain had cleared off, leaving deep puddles everywhere. The sun was beating down on his tan back. At least, with him being Italian, he did not really get burnt. Other cagers had to suffer through sun burns because most owners did not bother putting sun screen on them.

"Think he's worth a sale?" another voice said.

Romolo scoffed as he took a drink of his whiskey rocks.

"Doubtful. Since his eyes went to shit he hasn't been able to do much of anything," he replied. "I guess I can't complain too much though since I made a lot when he was still able to fight."

There was no response for a few minutes from the other man sitting inside the trailer. He was a familiar voice. He was a graying, middle-aged man who had only been around the camp for a couple of weeks.

Finally, he asked, "So what are you going to do with him when we all leave? I mean this place is getting flooded out. The weather is calling for even more rain tonight, tomorrow, and the next day."

Romolo rolled the ice around in his glass.

"Leave him."

"Romolo, they…I mean _we_ are going to be burning the place down to try and get rid of as much evidence as possible," the man said.

"And?" he asked.

The man just shook his head and said, "Nothing. Nevermind."

"What about yours? Yours never even got into the ring."

"He is still in training," the man replied.

"Well, with this business growing, maybe you'll find somewhere you can really use him at," Romolo said.

The man had brought his cager to the camper as well and ordered him to sit on the ground next to the stairs. Odd knew the boy as Aeden. He was younger than him, and the only reason he knew that was because of his insistent talking when they first met.

Odd had only barely caught his features, piecing together how he looked before the injuries to his eyes and head took full effect. Even now, though, he could feel Aeden's eyes on him.

"Alright, well, you get outta here soon," Romolo said gruffly after downing the rest of his whiskey. "Gotta get everything ready for the bonfire."

He said it as though it were going to be a fun event. It was as though he had not just declared the death sentence of his own son.

Romolo exited the camper and called back, "I'm going to fetch some gasoline. Need any?"

The other man exited the camper as well and said, "No, no. I'm all set. Thanks."

He stood on the steps and lit a cigarette. He watched Romolo walk away and disappear out of sight. As he blew out smoke, he looked down at Aeden, who was staring at him with wide, watery eyes.

The man looked back out and blew out more smoke before saying, "The name is Aengus."

He looked down at the blonde boy in the rugged clothes. His arms were rested on his knees as he gazed out at people passing by, packing up, leaving, and some even pouring gasoline on their trailers and tents for torching. Aengus knew he could not actually see what was happening, but he also knew he was not deaf and not naive. He knew what was happening around him, and what was going to happen.

There were bandages on his arms and band aids on his fingers. He was unsure of what the hand injuries were from since his fighting days had been over for a while.

"You know…it's polite to respond when someone introduces themselves," Aengus said.

Odd still did not respond.

Aengus sighed and stepped down onto the ground.

He looked down at the poor sight before him. What he saw was not a boy who had drawn blood in the caging ring; it was a boy who had been forced into making money for a father who did not love him. It was a boy who had not used his voice in weeks. It was a boy whose eyes had fogged over and turned milky with their lack of sight.

This was hardly even a boy anymore. He was more of a shell of what used to be, and perhaps what could no longer be.

Aengus whistled, causing Aeden to stand up and walk over to his master.

A scent of soap wafted its way past Odd's nostrils.

It was strange; the fact that Aedan always smelled like soap when all of the other cagers smelled like cigarette smoke, alcohol, blood, and dirt.

When the two left, Odd was left alone on the steps. It was not until about an hour later that it began raining again and his father came back with the gasoline.

Despite the sound of pouring rain, he could hear the distinct swishing of the gasoline in the container as his father walked past him up the steps. To Odd's surprise, he stopped and looked down at him. He could feel his gaze and he prepared himself for a smack, punch, or shove into the mud. Instead, he felt a rough thumb move across the tattoo on the back of his right shoulder.

The mark had been forced onto him within the second week he arrived at the camp. It read "combattente," which was Italian for "fighter." Odd remembered when he first saw it; it was from that point he knew he would never be the same again. It was not only because of the mark, but because of what the mark stood for; he had won his first fight. He was never violent before, but at that point he had drawn blood from another. The only thing that comforted him when he had thought about it was that that person was trying to hurt him too; possibly even kill him.

It was also the mark of his servitude.

Odd could smell fires beginning to burn. He could hear his father pouring out the rest of the gasoline on the inside of the camper.

Finally, after half an hour, Romolo was finished. He was done setting the camper up for lighting and packing up his clothes, money, and other belongings.

He stepped out of the camper and placed the tip of a fire poker into the open doorway before lighting a cigarette, inhaling deeply, and blowing out the smoke. Odd smelled the sharp, musty scent briefly before a hard kick to the back knocked him forward into the mud.

Romolo stepped off the steps, lit a match and tossed it into the open doorway of the camper, causing fire to immediately erupt. The flames began hungrily licking their way outside the door and windows.

Odd's father had his boot pressed on the side of his head to keep him down and watched as the temporary home burned. The brilliantly bright flames reflected on Odd's unseeing eyes as he looked in the direction of the flames.

"Stay down," his father demanded as he stepped off of him.

Romolo pulled a glove out of his back pocket as he walked over to the burning camper. He grabbed the poker and lifted the tip to his face. The sharp tip glowed brilliantly in the dark evening.

"Alright, Odd," Romolo said as he stood over him again, boot pressed into his back to hold him down.

Odd's milky eyes widened a bit at the sound of his name.

"Time to retire."

Those were the last words he heard his father say before a searing pain erupted through him.

His scream could be heard throughout the whole camp as Romolo stabbed the sharp, hot poker directly into the tattoo on Odd's shoulder. It sizzled as it made contact with skin and blood.

 **…**

 **A/N:** Odd is blind oh my my my.

Thanks for the follows, favorites, and reviews. More reviews would be much appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5: Like the Dead

**A/N:** Quick reminder that I KNOW Aelita's mother and father did not survive past the super computer. This is an AU story in which they DID. Therefore, PLEASE refrain from reviewing/messaging me about how I don't have my CL facts straight, because I definitely do : )

Anyway…

 **Chapter 5: Like the Dead**

Aelita watched the television in her bedroom. She had been unable to sleep well over the past few days after hearing about Odd's disappearance.

The news had spread all around the school by that time and it seemed to put a dark cloud over everyone. Odd was always the loud and energetic one that brought a smile to everyone's faces, even the teachers' from time to time, but now, it was not so much that he was no longer at Kadic, it was that he was gone.

Aelita's parents, Anthea and Franz Hopper, had both been shocked and greatly saddened when Aelita told them. After all, he helped rescue all of them from XANA. Since the moment they shut down the super computer, all of the Lyoko warriors became like their children; they cared a great deal about each of them.

"-forest fire of some sort has broken out on the outskirts of town. No one knows how such a thing has happened with the heavy rain we have been getting these past few weeks…"

The news reporter continued to say how there appeared to be no threat for any residents because of how far the fire was and because the fire department was already on their way. Aelita was hardly listening, however, due to the fact that it was not about Odd or the recent murders that had been plaguing the area.

The pouring rain had stopped its onslaught on her window, but the low rumbling of thunder signaled that more was on the way.

"The fire department was alarmed to receive calls of a large cloud of dark smoke emerging from the horizon. There are no residents where the forest fire is located, thankfully…"

The reporter proceeded to say that they would give more information on the story as it developed.

As the news cut to a commercial, Aelita looked out the window. Once the spots on her vision from the bright screen of the television had disappeared, she could see the light wind brushing through the trees.

… … … … … … … …

Boots stomped about in the mud as firefighters continued in their attempts to put out the fires. The bright lights on the trucks flashed wildly against the trees.

They had been surprised to see that what they thought was a fire in a non-residential area, was actually a fire in a campground of sorts. The firefighters who were not hosing down the flames had barged into the area to try and find anyone who needed to be rescued.

"Sure! Now that we actually _need_ rain, we ain't getting any!" a fireman holding onto one of the hoses exclaimed.

"The clouds must hate us!" the firewoman behind him shouted back in response.

As soon as they had arrived on the scene and saw the fires, they knew they were dealing with something intentional.

Within the first thirty minutes, they had succeeded in putting out fires on a few of the campers, tents, and other small buildings. However, the fire was beginning to spread to the woods beyond; the flames licked hungrily at the trunks of the trees, wishing to consume more.

Suddenly, there were two loud booms as two vehicles within the camp exploded one after the other. There were other booms from further off within belonging to gasoline tanks that had been left to add more fuel to the fire.

"We're gonna need back-up," the firewoman said only loud enough for her fellows around her to hear.

… … … … … … … …

A large, blue pick-up truck had departed the burning area twenty minutes before emergency vehicles arrived. It bumped along as it travelled through the woods without its headlights on.

"I don't know how you can see well enough to drive," the passenger said.

"I don't know how some of those people could have just left their cagers to burn," the driver said with disgust. "I mean, what if traces could be found and it lead to any of us? I mean, I know _we're_ burning them, but we are actually going to make sure the job is done completely. No traces, no nothing."

The young man in the passenger seat was no older than twenty-one years old. The man driving was in his mid-thirties.

"Speaking of, are we almost there?" the younger man asked.

"Few more minutes and we will be golden, Tag" the other replied. "Check and make sure the tarp is still on."

Tag grabbed a blue handheld spotlight off the floor and stuck his head out the open window. He grabbed onto the roof of the truck to steady himself as he sat on the window ledge. He flicked on the light and saw nothing that was cause for alarm.

The blue tarp was crackling with the movement of the truck. A hand was sticking out from underneath the cover and bouncing lifelessly with each uneven movement along the ground.

Tag flicked the light off and climbed back inside the truck.

"All good," he said.

A couple of minutes later, they had arrived at their destination.

The two men got out of the truck, went to the bed, and removed the tarp.

Fifteen bodies lay in the bed of the truck, stacked on top of each other like firewood.

The sound of crickets could be heard all around them, along with the occasional hoot of an owl far up in the treetops.

"Alright, let's get to work," the older man said.

They got through the pile of bodies within twenty minutes, carrying them and putting them down three per pile.

"Why didn't you take this rod thing out of this one before putting him in the truck, Aksel?"

Aksel answered back in a barking manner, but the blonde with the said-rod in his back did not make a move. As he was being carried to and from the truck, he did not even breathe. It was relatively easy to act dead when one already felt like it.

The familiar scent of gasoline clouded around him as the two men began pouring it on the bodies. He felt the liquid drip down his face and soak through his shirt.

"You don't think we should get that thing out so it doesn't leave any sort of evidence?"

"Evidence?"

"Yeah, you know, like, fingerprints."

There was a small moment of silence before Aksel said, "Yeah, you're probably right."

There was the sound of an empty gasoline container being dropped onto the ground.

Footsteps could be heard. A stick that was right in front of his face snapped.

A boot pressed against the middle of his back and the poker was pulled out of his body with a squish.

Odd leaped up before Aksel could even comprehend what was happening. With only a small second of grabbing only air for the fire poker, he successfully snatched it and stabbed whatever was in front of him. The sound of a scream and of a sharp object entering skin and body could be heard, and Odd knew he had hit his mark.

The poker had stabbed through Aksel's stomach, causing him to fall to the ground. Without hesitation, and now knowing where his victim was, he pelted at the man's head until he was certain he was unconscious.

Odd knew that there was no chance he would be able to find the other man unless he listened carefully to his surroundings, but even then it was a slim chance he would be able to hit the right mark. He had only been blind for so long, he did not necessarily have perfectly heightened senses.

During his onslaught over Aksel, Tag had ran to the truck to grab a gun that was hidden away in the glove box. He hid behind the truck, out of Odd's "sight." His breathing was heavy with fear and he gripped the gun close to his chest. He forcefully steadied his hands before leaping out from behind the vehicle.

Odd heard the click of the gun right behind him and he moved fast in hopes that he would hit his mark before the bullet hit him. The bullet never had the chance to leave the gun before the poker slammed into Tag's hand. He let out a small cry of pain as he stumbled and was shoved backward onto the ground.

Tag stared up in fear as Odd hovered over him, hand around his throat.

How could a kid that was so underweight and sick-looking be so strong and threatening?

"P-please," Tag whimpered. "D-don't kill me."

A soft rumble of thunder sounded before rain began falling from the sky once more.

Odd remained over Tag with his hand on his throat.

"I-I'll even take you to a hospital," Tag offered. "We aren't far from a town. It's only about ten miles a-away. Just…p-please."

Odd stared at him for another minute or so before Tag opened his mouth again.

"Wh-"

No more was able to come from his mouth as Odd brought his fist to Tag's face and began punching. Blood caked onto his knuckles with each fresh hit. Finally, he grabbed the poker and slammed the side of it hard onto his forehead. There was a thud, then nothing.

Satisfied that he was knocked out cold, Odd dropped the metal on the ground. Everything that had just taken place had exhausted him, but he did not want to stay in that area any longer.

Odd began walking through the woods, using only the hand of his one good shoulder to guide him; his fingertips brushed along the tree trunks, and when he ran out of things to grab, he felt around until he found more trunks and plants to feel and help guide his way.

With each step he seemed to get weaker and weaker, and yet, closer and closer to town and to the public he had not been in for what felt like forever.

He continued walking as the rain fell, but the drops that managed to get through the branches above were not enough to wash off the blood leaked from his own body; nor was it enough to rinse off the blood from the dead bodies he had been entwined with.

… … … … … … … …


	6. Chapter 6: Disclosure

**Chapter 6: Disclosure**

The rain drops pelted against Yumi Ishiyama's bedroom windows. There was no other sound within the house aside from the extremely faint ticking of the clock in the living room; every couple of hours, it would chime a soft tune.

There had been sirens screaming through the streets as fire trucks traveled along the streets. Yumi had seen the news of the distant fire on her television before falling into a not-so-sound sleep. On any other night, she would not have budged at the sound of light tapping on her window.

Blearily, she opened her eyes and rubbed them with one hand before looking out the window. A scream almost left her throat, but she swallowed it as soon as she saw that it was Ulrich. He was wearing an olive green rain jacket. The hood was over his head, protecting him from the rain.

Yumi sighed, slightly exasperated that he had just about scared her out of her wits. She got out of bed and went to unlock the window. She opened it and let Ulrich climb through. They were both quite skilled in keeping quiet due to the multiple times they had to sneak out to stop XANA attacks.

"What the hell, Ulrich? You scared the hell out of me!" Yumi whispered.

"Sorry I brought so much hell," Ulrich smirked.

Yumi could not help but smile as she looked at the floor and rubbed the sleep from her eyes more.

"Really am sorry though," Ulrich said as he shrugged his jacket off. "I couldn't sleep."

Yumi looked at him and put her hands on her hips.

"And…I just…you know…"

"It's okay," Yumi replied. "I haven't been able to get him out of my head either. Aelita has been texting me all night about how worried she is. I guess she finally fell asleep."

"Lucky her," Ulrich responded.

The two were silent for a minute. Yumi walked over to her bed and sat down. She looked over at Ulrich and patted the spot next to her. Ulrich was thankful the room was dark, because otherwise she would have been able to see his furious blushing.

Ulrich sat down on the bed and stared down at his hands before a picture frame caught his eye. It was on a nightstand, and inside of it was a photograph of the whole crew: himself, Yumi, Jeremie, Aelita, and Odd. It was taken close to the time of Odd's departure the year before.

"We'll figure it out, Ulrich," Yumi said soothingly.

"I don't know, Yumi," Ulrich responded. "It used to be that we were the ones saving each other, but now, what can we do?"

Yumi did not know how to answer. She had thought that same exact thing, and had actually found herself wishing it was a XANA attack so that they could stop whatever was happening and bring Odd home.

The two were lost in thought for a few minutes until they heard a rattling coming from the backyard.

"What was that?" Ulrich asked.

"My dad is putting up a fence outback. He put the tools and stuff underneath a tarp," Yumi responded, eyebrows furrowed.

There was no way anything other than a person or animal knocked the pile over.

"Want me to go with you?" Ulrich asked when Yumi stood up.

"What are you, crazy?" Yumi smirked. "If my parents saw you here they would flip out."

Yumi padded through the house, hoping the gate rattling had not awoken her parents. As she approached the back door, she slowed her pace. Lightening flashed against the glass.

When she got to the door, she flipped on the outside light and looked out the window. Just as she suspected, the pile had been disturbed. Some of the iron poles were scattered out into the open from underneath the tarp.

A movement pulled her eyes away from the pile. She squinted through the night and rain, trying to make out what it was. It was not until another flash of lightening lit up the sky did she see.

 **… … … … … … … … … …**

Odd could tell he was on the outskirts of a public area. The sounds of cars was what made him sure of it. Occasionally, he would hear a dog bark. Aside from that, the sounds of heavy rain and gentle thunder blocked out all other noises.

What made him absolutely sure he was in a residential area was the fact that his hand would sometimes find a fence. Every few minutes or so he would stumble and sometimes fall. Each time, it was harder and harder to get back up. There was a sharp pain in his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. His shoulder wound had started bleeding freely again after attacking the men in the woods.

Once the last fence ended, Odd had his left hand out in front of him as he tried to find another to lead him. When he found one, he clasped it, but immediately tripped over a pile of something on the ground. The pile of whatever it was he tripped over made a bit of a ruckus. After landing on the soggy ground, he felt as though the wind had been completely knocked out of him. His chest and shoulder were hurting even worse than before.

He tried to get up, but the best he could manage was a pathetic crawl for only a second before collapsing back onto the wet grass. After the second attempt, there was no more trying. Immediately after he passed out was when the back door to the house opened.

 **… … … … …**


	7. Chapter 7: He's Back

**Chapter 7: He's Back**

Yumi would recognize that blonde anywhere, even if he was covered in blood, mud, and soaked with rain. She felt her heart stop and she could not move for just a moment before she found her legs racing across the yard.

"Odd!" Yumi cried as she fell to her knees next to him.

She got no response.

Odd was lying face first in the wet grass, his head facing the side just enough for Yumi to see it was indeed him. His arm was out in front of him, displaying his failed attempt to keep going.

"It's okay, Odd," Yumi comforted the unconscious boy. "I've got you, just hold on."

"Yumi?" she heard Ulrich say from behind her. "Are you alright?"

Ulrich's eyes caught sight of his best friend lying on the ground and he immediately raced forward and went to his knees.

" _Odd?_ "

"He's unconscious," Yumi said, a lump forming in her throat. "We have to get him inside."

"I've got him. You go inside and call an ambulance," Ulrich said.

Yumi nodded and ran inside. She heard her parents worriedly saying her name as they came down the stairs.

Ignoring them, she began dialing.

"Yumi, what-"

"Yes, hello. I need an ambulance, my friend…he's been missing but he's back now a-and, he's injured."

"Yumi, what on earth is going on?" Mr. Ishiyama asked gruffly.

Mrs. Ishiyama had her hands on Hiroki's shoulders. All of the ruckus had woken him up as well and he was staring at his sister with confusion and slight worry.

Ulrich had decided to pick Odd up bridal style once he felt the wound on his shoulder. He also felt how light his friend was. He had always been skinny, but now he seemed to be skin and bones.

"Thank you, please hurry," Yumi pleaded before hanging up the phone.

"Yumi Mizuki Ishiyama, _what_ is going _on?"_ Mrs. Ishiyama said.

"Odd's hurt," Yumi said as she rushed off to her room to grab a blanket and pillow.

"Wha- Oh my goodness," Mrs. Ishiyama gasped as Ulrich carried in the unconscious boy.

Yumi re-entered the living room and laid out the blanket and pillow.

"Where did he…Ulrich when did you…?" Mrs. Ishiyama stuttered.

Ulrich gently placed Odd on the blanket and made sure his head was resting on the pillow. Odd's head lifelessly lolled to the side, making Ulrich worry so much more it made him feel sick.

Ulrich took off his t-shirt and placed one hand on Odd's shoulder and the other underneath him, trying to stop the bleeding from the shoulder wound with the cloth.

Mrs. Ishiyama snapped out of her shock and told Hiroki to go back to his room. Mr. Ishiyama went to watch out the window for the paramedics as his wife left the room for a few seconds and rushed back in with a first aid kit.

"Remove his shirt and hold him into a sitting position for me please, Ulrich," she said.

Ulrich made quick work on removing the flimsy maroon tank top. He cut it with the pocket knife he had in his pocket. Once he sat him up, his breath hitched in his throat and Yumi's eyes widened.

Along with the gaping shoulder wound and mud on Odd's back, they could make out long, red, scabbing welts. They appeared to be the work of whipping.

"Hold him steady now, Ulrich," Mrs. Ishiyama said as she began wrapping an elastic bandage reaching from his right shoulder down to his left ribs and back again.

When she was satisfied, she gestured for Ulrich to lay him back down.

"That should help at least until the paramedics get here," she said gently. "I'm going to check on Hiroki and then I'll be back."

Neither of them responded. Ulrich just stared at Odd's face while Yumi brushed wet hair out of his face and held his hand.

Odd's breathing had become fast and shallow as though he could not get enough oxygen. He was visibly shaking. Yumi could feel it as she held his hand.

"Who the hell did this to you?" Ulrich growled out with a venom Yumi had never heard before.

Yet, she was thinking the same exact thing. What the hell had happened to their joyous and outgoing friend?

"They're here!" Mr. Ishiyama called as he went and unlocked the front door.

There was hardly any time before the paramedics came in and began assessing the situation. Once Odd was safely on the gurney they moved quickly out of the house.

Ulrich had to power-walk in order to keep up with them; there was no way he was letting Odd ride in the ambulance without him.

"Yumi, contact Aelita and Jeremie. Tell them to meet us at the hospital," Ulrich said to her as he rushed out of the house.

Yumi nodded and watched from the doorway as Odd was loaded into the back of the ambulance and they immediately began tending to his injuries and sticking needles in his arms. It was not until the ambulance drove out of the driveway, sirens blaring and lights flashing, that she took out her phone and simply texted the words:

"HOSPITAL. NOW. IT'S ODD."

She started running down the stairs to head toward the hospital when she heard her father's voice calling out to her.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To the hospital! Dad-" Yumi was ready to argue that she was going to the hospital no matter what they said, but he interrupted her.

"I will drive you! You aren't running off in the middle of the night alone!"

Yumi gave him a small smile of gratitude as he ran down the steps, car keys already in hand. She was still so used to running off to the factory that she did not even think about asking for a ride instead.

Once in the car, her father tossed an olive green rain jacket to her.

"Here. Wear this when you're at least going inside the hospital. You're soaked enough already."

Yumi felt a jolt of nervousness as she realized it was Ulrich's rain jacket her father had given her. Thankfully, he did not notice much of what her wardrobe consisted of anyway, so the fact that the jacket was not even hers did not even ring a bell in his mind.

"Th-thanks," she said and put it on, finding a small amount of comfort in the fact that it smelled like Ulrich.

… … … … … … … … …

Ulrich kept his eye on Odd all the way to the hospital up until he was stopped at the entrance to the ER. He wanted to protest, but he knew it would do no good, so instead he watched as the doors swung shut.

"You can't go running around the hospital without a shirt, kid."

The voice startled him and he turned around to see the paramedic who had been driving the ambulance. He was handing him a long-sleeved navy blue shirt. It was not until then that Ulrich realized he was shirtless. He blushed as he quickly grabbed it and put it on.

"Thanks," he said.

"No problem," the paramedic said with a comforting grin. "You were using yours to stop bleeding, right? I assume from the blood on your hand. Good thinking."

After the paramedic gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze and walked away, Ulrich looked down at his hand. There was blood on it from when he had been holding his shirt to Odd's wound.

Odd's blood.

He clenched his hand into a fist.

… … … … … … … … …

 **A/N:** Yumi's middle name "Mizuki" means "Beautiful moon" in Japanese. I figured that fit her well.


	8. Chapter 8: No One Can Hurt You Now

**A/N:** Well, my senior year of college has begun, but since I changed my major so late in the game I am technically a sophomore again. I may only need to go an extra year and a half though.

Anyway, good luck to all with your studies if you're still in school. If you aren't then good luck with your job! If you don't have a job then good luck with whatever!

…

 **Chapter 8**

 **No One Can Hurt You Now**

Ulrich was sitting with his hands clasped together against his mouth, elbows on his knees. He was watching the door to Odd's hospital room with a steely determination.

Yumi had her arms crossed and her eyes closed, waiting to hear the sound of the door opening.

Jeremie was sitting on the floor, his head lying back and looking at the ceiling. He had only managed to slip into a pair of khaki shorts and a maroon t-shirt before rushing out of Kadic Academy with Aelita.

Aelita was sitting next to Ulrich in a chair. She was still wearing her navy blue pajama shorts, but managed to toss a light pink Kadic Academy hoodie over her head before leaving for the hospital. She eyed the door, waiting for the doctor and nurse to come back out.

The doctor had retrieved them from the waiting room and led them to Odd's room. The only problem was, they were not allowed in yet.

"Aelita!"

Everyone turned to see Franz and Anthea Schaeffer. Aelita immediately stood and hugged her mother.

"I'm so sorry I didn't call or text you guys," she apologized.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Anthea said, hugging her.

"How did you know we were here?" Jeremie asked.

"I know the doctor, Enzo Allard," Franz replied. "He had the front desk call me as soon as he realized who the patient was."

"How did he-" Jeremie began, but Franz interrupted him.

"I made sure that I was the first receive word if Odd were to be found. I could only assume he would have needed some kind of medical work done as well as a parental figure to make decisions."

The door opened and everyone's attention snapped to the doctor and nurse who emerged from the room. Dr. Enzo was a man in his fifties. He had black hair with little flecks of grey hair; he was wearing blue scrubs. The nurse to the side of him was of Asian descent and wore white scrubs.

Ulrich stood up and asked, "How is he? Can we see him?"

The nurse looked around at all of them, noticing that none of them looked alike so were obviously not related.

"Don't worry, nurse Manami," Dr. Enzo said. "Whatever information regarding Odd is their business."

Nurse Manami nodded and handed him the chart.

"Well?" Franz asked delicately. "How is the boy?"

The doctor looked around at everyone before taking a breath.

"I'll begin with the most recent injuries. Someone must have stabbed the back of his right shoulder into the supraspinatus muscle. When that happened, the object went in with such ferocity that it fractured the scapula. We had to disinfect and bandage the wound on his back. We also had to treat what appears to be wounds as a result of repetitive whipping."

Franz was listening intently to every word the doctor said. Anthea had gripped his hand in comfort. After all, it was as though all of the ex-Lyoko warriors had become like children to them.

Ulrich and Yumi were unsure what some of the medical terms meant, but they understood the gist of what the doctor was saying. Aelita was known as Miss. Einstein, but that did not mean she knew much about anything medical. Jeremie had obviously researched anatomy enough to know exactly what the doctor was telling them.

"Now, onto the head injuries. Currently, he does not have any, but according to brain scans there were some repeated injuries to the base of his skull, most likely due to hitting something hard. Now, might I ask, did Odd have any problems with his eyesight before all of this?"

Yumi, Ulrich, Aelita, and Jeremie all furrowed their eyebrows and shook their heads.

Dr. Enzo sighed and said firmly yet gently, "I am sorry to say that your friend cannot see. Apparently with that repeated trauma to the occipital lobes, it greatly affected the visual cortex of the brain; to the point that he is now completely blind."

Aelita clapped a hand to her mouth and made a small noise. Yumi and Jeremie's eyes widened. Ulrich's hands clenched tight at his sides.

"Another factor contributing to the eyesight issues is other apparent abuse."

"Other apparent abuse?" Jeremie croaked.

Dr. Enzo nodded.

"There is a visible mark on his left eye that appears to be from a cigarette burn. It seems as though someone put a cigarette out a cigarette, immediately rendering that useless. The other eye eventually caught up."

"Oh my goodness," Anthea said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Odd also has a severe case of pneumonia and is suffering from malnutrition. His weight was at a mere seventy-six pounds. We already gone through one session of giving him nutrients through an enteral IV, which will need to be done quite regularly until he can eat normally again. He is also hooked up to a blood supply and a pain killer, so he's all set up for recovery. As for his mental state, we are not sure yet. We just have to figure that out when he wakes up."

Everyone was silent, letting the information sink in as well as waiting to see if there was any more gut-wrenching news.

"Can we see him?" Aelita asked, tears threatening to spill.

The doctor looked at the teenagers with sympathy.

"Sure. He shouldn't wake up just yet, but just as a precaution, I would advise staying quiet," he instructed.

They nodded and began walking toward the room. Dr. Enzo watched until the door closed behind the last of the four teenagers. He sighed and rubbed the skin between his eyes.

"Tired?" Franz asked.

"Very," Dr. Enzo smirked. "Don't you want to go in?"

"We will," Anthea said, finally finding her voice. "They just need some time alone right now. Those kids have been through… a lot together, to say the least."

Franz gripped his wife's hand tighter.

Aelita was holding Odd's hand, trying to not grasp it too hard or disturb the peripheral venous catheter. The catheter going into his hand was attached to what she could only assume to be whatever pain medication he had received.

As soon as she saw the state Odd was in, the tears began; she could not stop them. Odd was hooked up to so much equipment and it was so unsettling to see the energetic boy lying as still as a stone, propped up as comfortably as the doctor and nurses could make him

Ulrich and Jeremie were on the right side of the bed, trying to find the strength to look at Odd's face more than they had. They were quite unnerved as well.

Odd's right arm was being held in a sling. A tight band was wrapped across his right bicep to his left side, holding his right arm securely to his chest to prevent any disturbance to the broken shoulder blade. The hospital shirt Odd was wearing looked too big on his malnourished, skinny frame; the collar was pulled halfway down his chest to reveal a couple of the ECG electrodes stuck to his skin.

There was an oxygen mask covering his mouth, nose, and chin. This relieved Ulrich and Yumi because they could no longer hear the straggled breathing that was coming from him earlier.

The only sound in the room was the steady beeping of the heart rate monitor. The green light lit up with each "beep" the machine made.

Ulrich looked up at his best friend, his expression stony. Looking at the deep bags underneath Odd's eyes and the blue tint of his lips almost made him feel sick.

"If only I had known…" Ulrich said, his throat dry and voice threatening to break. "If only I had been more concerned about the fact that we had lost contact with him…this wouldn't have happened."

"Don't do that, Ulrich," Yumi said gently. "How could you have known?"

"I was his roommate. I'm his best friend. I should have-"

"None of us had any idea that this was happening, Ulrich," Jeremie said. "How could we? I just thought that he…"

Jeremie's sentence trailed off and he sighed before saying, "He's here now…with us. That's all that matters now."

Ulrich brushed some stray hair off of Odd's forehead, his expression softening.

Jeremie was right. There was nothing they could do about the past. All they needed to focus on at that point was the present and helping Odd through recovery.

"It's okay now," Ulrich said quietly, hoping Odd could hear him even in his unconscious state. "No one can hurt you now. I won't allow it."


	9. Chapter 9: Trust

**A/N:** _abc_ = a dream/memory

There is some heavy stuff in this chapter that could be a trigger for some readers.

 **Chapter 9: Trust**

By the time Franz and Anthea entered Odd's hospital room, all four teenagers were asleep. Aelita had her head resting on Odd's bed, his hand still in hers. Yumi had her head next to Aelita's. Ulrich's rain jacket that she had been wearing was hanging over the back of her chair.

Ulrich and Jeremie were leaning back in their chairs, appearing as though they would slump right out of them at any second.

"Poor dears, they must be absolutely exhausted," Anthea said quietly.

Franz pulled up the last spare chair for her to sit at the foot of the bed. She gave him a small smile of gratitude before sitting down.

It had begun raining again and the clock on the wall read that it was getting rather late. After half an hour, Anthea stood up and said, "I suppose I need to get back home to get some sleep. I have to do a few flower arrangements for a wedding tomorrow."

Franz nodded and went over to the door. He opened it and Anthea walked out, but Franz looked at the unconscious form in the hospital bed for a few more seconds.

"Franz?" Anthea questioned.

He sighed and said, "I became accustomed to evil in the form of XANA. I became so used to it in fact that I forgot how evil mankind can be as well."

Anthea was silent. A low rumble of thunder sounded.

Franz quietly shut the door.

… … … … … … … … …

Ulrich woke up at six o'clock the following morning. Yumi, Jeremie, and Aelita were still asleep. Odd looked the exact same as before except some color had returned to his lips.

The brunette sat in the cafeteria with a cup of coffee in front of him. There were doctors, nurses, and other guests moving around him, yet, Ulrich paid no mind to them. His mind was far too preoccupied. It was not until Yumi and Aelita entered the cafeteria that he snapped out of it and looked up. Yumi went straight to the coffee pots.

"Good morning," Aelita greeted with a small smile as she sat down.

"'Morning," Ulrich said, giving her a small, rather unconvincing smile in return.

She studied Ulrich. He was deep in thought, staring at the dark contents in the cup before him.

"Are you okay?" Aelita asked gently.

"Mm?" Ulrich looked up at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked again. "You and Yumi had a rough time last night, I'm sure. You know, when…"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Ulrich said absentmindedly. "I'm not the one anyone needs to be worried about."

Aelita let out a breath and grinned at him.

"That's exactly what Yumi said when I asked her if she was okay."

A few minutes later, the three entered Odd's hospital room again. Jeremie was awake, reading a book with Albert Einstein on the cover.

"Hey, look, you're reading a book about yourself," Yumi joked when they entered the room.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Jeremie responded. "I got ahold of Principal Delmas by the way. He says our absence is excused. He did not seem happy about the fact that students snuck out in the middle of the night, though."

"Detention?" Ulrich asked.

"Actually, no," he said, accepting a cup of coffee from Aelita. "I expect he's taking it easy on us given the circumstances."

"Great. I'm not really feeling up for detention," Ulrich replied as he sat down.

"Because you are always feeling up for detention?" Aelita asked in a somewhat dry and teasing tone.

Ulrich smiled at her attempt to bring light to the room.

… … … … … … … … …

 _Blood was dripping from Odd's lip. A bruise was forming on the side of his face._

 _The opponent's savage glare was not faltering. The black-haired boy darted toward Odd, a knife gripped in his hand. Odd dodged the attack and punched his opponent with a kidney shot. He heard air leave his lungs and took the moment of weakness to quickly grab the knife from his opponent's hand._

 _When the opponent fell to the ground, Odd put his knee in the middle of his back, pressing him down into the dirt. He raised the knife in the air and brought it down into his hand._

 _His opponent let out a scream of pain as the blade stabbed through his hand and dug into the dirt, preventing him from getting up. Blood pooled around the blade and leaked onto the ground._

 _Odd stood and watched for a few moments before the match was declared victory on his part. The ones who lost money groaned while those who bet for Odd to win cheered._

 _As the money was being collected and given by people outside the ring, Odd crouched down and pulled the knife out of his opponent's hand. He tossed the blood-covered weapon to the side before walking away._

 _His opponent whimpered on the ground as he watched Odd with astonishment. He wondered why he had even let him survive, let alone remove the blade from his hand._

 _Romolo finished counting his money just as Odd walked up to him._

" _About damn time you got here," he grouched. "Come on. I have you scheduled for more business."_

 _Odd looked confused. He rarely even used his voice anymore, so whenever he did his sentences came out short. After all, what was the point of using a voice that only seemed to get him some type of punishment?_

" _Another fight?"_

" _No," Romolo said as he began walking away from the ring._

 _Odd knew that Romolo could only mean one other thing. There were only two ways he made Romolo money. One was fighting, which Odd hated. The other was something far more personal, which he hated even more._

" _About damn time," a man's gruff voice said from inside the tent._

 _Odd was waiting outside, his nails digging into his arms as he anxiously waited._

" _Sorry," Romolo said from inside the tent as well. "The fight went on for longer than expected."_

" _Did he kill the opponent this time?"_

" _Tch, of course not, the stupid little prick."_

" _At least he wins though. Especially after the problems you had with him in the beginning."_

" _That is true," Romolo agreed. "Making a ton of more money than I did the first month of bringing him here."_

 _Odd watched a group of birds fly overhead. They chirped as though they did not have a care in the world._

 _Romolo emerged from the tent and put his hand on Odd's head._

" _You're booked for five hours," he said to him. "You know the drill. Do whatever you're told. Got it?"_

 _Romolo's tone was less angry than it usually was, which was only because he had made his money for the day._

 _Odd nodded._

" _Good," Romolo said. "I expect you back to our site no later than fifteen minutes after that. Don't be late."_

 _Odd nodded again._

 _The sun was setting when Odd made it back. He immediately crawled into his dog house and brought his knees up to his face. Bruises were already forming on his arms and legs. He closed his eyes and tried to forget the sound of heavy breathing and horrid stench of sweat and other bodily fluids._

… … … … … … … … …

Jeremie was reading his book while Aelita worked on extra credit for class. Yumi and Ulrich were having scattered conversations when they could actually think of something to talk about.

It was during one of their silent moments that nurse Manami entered the room.

She smiled at them before asking, "Could you please step back? I need to put in a nasogastric tube."

Everyone moved back and watched silently as the nurse slipped the tube through Odd's nostril and, with skilled hands, moved it gradually down the esophagus to the stomach. She taped the tube up behind his ear. Once Odd was successfully hooked up to the nutritional formula and the oxygen mask was placed back over his face, she stepped back.

"There, all done," nurse Manami said. "Dr. Enzo will be in shortly as well."

Everyone sat back down in their self-designated spots. Instead of getting back to reading and homework, Aelita and Jeremie decided converse with Yumi and Ulrich. It was not until a few minutes later that Aelita mentioned something about calling her parents.

"I guess I should too," Yumi said.

Just as the two girls stood up to do so, Dr. Enzo entered the room and greeted them with a smile.

"Hello, how are you all doing today?"

"Fine," Yumi answered for everyone.

Aelita nodded and said sweetly, "Thanks for asking."

As the two girls left, Dr. Enzo walked up to the bed and began inspecting various equipment that Odd was hooked up to.

"So, Doctor Enzo…" Ulrich started, causing the doctor to look at him. "When do you think Odd will wake up?"

"Well, it's hard to say. I would expect sometime between today and the next couple of days," he answered. "You must remember that your friend has been through quite a long and difficult ordeal."

Ulrich did not answer as a slight stir came from the bed, instantly alerting everyone.

Odd's eyebrows were furrowing slightly and his head was slightly lolling. His left hand lightly clenched the bed sheets.

"Odd?" Jeremie questioned, standing up with Ulrich.

Outside of the hospital, Yumi and Aelita were talking on their cell phones. When Yumi hung up, she turned to Aelita to see that she was still on the phone. She waited another two minutes, enjoying the natural air that did not smell of antiseptic.

"Ready?" Yumi asked, walking up to her.

Aelita nodded in response.

The elevator gave a "ding" as it reached the desired floor. Yumi and Aelita began walking down the hall toward Odd's room when they saw Nurse Manami run past them with another nurse in tow.

"What the-" Yumi started, but froze when she saw them rush into Odd's room.

Wasting no more time, the two girls ran down the hall. When they entered Odd's hospital room, however, they froze yet again.

Ulrich was standing off to the side with an almost pained look on his face. Jeremie was next to him looking extremely concerned. Dr. Enzo was speaking hurriedly to the two nurses who had just entered. Yet, they were not the ones that made Aelita and Yumi come to a stand-still.

Odd was still in bed, but wide awake. He looked frantic, confused, and scared. His sightless eyes were looking around the room, but unable to gather the information on who was around him. The breathing mask that had once been on his face was off and lay neglected on the bed. The doctor and nurses were trying to speak to him to calm him down, but to no avail.

Every time one of them tried to get close to him, he would back further and further into the back of the bed. There was nowhere else for him to go, but somehow he managed to make himself look smaller each time he moved back further.

Odd did not know why he could not move his right arm properly and why it felt bound to his chest. He did not know what was going through his nose and down his esophagus. Nor did he know who the people urging him to calm down were; he did not recognize their voices.

"Odd..." Aelita breathed out and stepped forward.

"No! Stay back," Dr. Enzo ordered. "He has already tried to stab me once with one of his IVs."

It was then that Yumi and Aelita noticed that his left arm was missing one of the needles.

Yumi got out of her state of shock and stepped forward anyway, despite Dr. Enzo's protest.

"He doesn't know who you are," Yumi said in a low, serious voice. "If he knows we're here he'll calm down."

"I don't think that would make any difference," the unknown nurse stated with annoyance. "Let the professionals handle-"

"Nurse Moreau!" Dr. Enzo scolded. "Perhaps she's right, but only one of you at a time."

Ulrich, Jeremie, Aelita, and Yumi all looked at each other, but it was Ulrich who stepped forward first. The others did not protest.

Dr. Enzo and the two nurses stepped back, but did not leave in case Odd lashed out again.

Ulrich slowly made his way forward, but made his presence known so as not to surprise his best friend.

"Hey, good buddy," Ulrich said in a soft voice as he edged closer; it was a tone of voice that the group rarely heard him use.

Odd's eyes darted in his direction, though not landing directly on him. He was so incredibly confused, but he knew that voice.

"It's me, Ulrich."

Odd's breathing had become ragged as though it was becoming more difficult to breathe, but his expression was smoothing out as he dared to believe what he was being told.

"We're all here."

"Odd," Yumi said as she stepped next to Ulrich. "It's okay. It's just us."

"U-us?" Odd said in a horribly raspy voice, as though he had not used it in years.

Yumi nodded, forgetting he could not see the gesture. She followed it up with, "Yes. Jeremie, Aelita, Ulrich, and me…Yumi."

Odd was silent.

"Don't you remember collapsing in my backyard?" Yumi asked. "That's where Ulrich and I found you."

Aelita and Jeremie had walked up next to their other friends.

"Please, Odd," Jeremie urged. "It's us."

"We've missed you so much," Aelita said, tears threatening to fall.

It was then that it all came rushing back to him.

The burning of the camp. His ride in the truck with dead bodies. His fight in the woods. Walking and tripping over something unknown to him and falling, then nothingness. Through the nothingness, however, he had heard faint, yet familiar voices. It was Ulrich and Yumi.

"Y-you…" Odd stammered, voice still scratchy and quiet from disuse and the pneumonia racking his system. "You're really h-here…"

Suddenly, a warmness enveloped him as Aelita rushed forward and hugged him. He did not attack her like the doctor and nurses feared. Instead, he sat rather rigid, but he knew her scent and realized it truly was her. With that embrace came three more over top of the first.

It was in that moment Odd truly knew it was not a dream or some cruel hallucination. This was real. His best friends were really there. He could feel them. He could smell them.

It was something he thought he would never experience again with the people he believed he would never again be with.

Finally, the awkward stiffness of Odd's body dissolved and he melted into the embraces. He brought his hand up and could feel soft hair on his hands that could belong to only Yumi or Aelita.

Aelita put her hand on his as he touched her hair. She wondered if he knew it was her through the touch. It pained her to think that he would never again be able to actually see them.

It was not until Odd began letting out small choking sounds that the friends ended the embrace. Odd began violently coughing as the pneumonia began attacking his lungs once more. He was also visibly in pain, the IV that he had ripped out had been the one that was supplying him pain killers.

Dr. Enzo rushed forward to retrieve the breathing mask, but Jeremie beat him to it. He placed it over Odd's mouth, who protested by weakly gripping Jeremie's wrist.

"It's just me, Odd," he said. "You need the oxygen. You have a bad case of pneumonia."

Odd's sightless eyes were on Jeremie's face, but not meeting his eyes. In those clouded eyes came a look of trust as he released Jeremie's wrist.

"There ya go," Jeremie reassured. "Dr. Enzo is going to put another needle back in your arm. You're going to need those pain killers. Everything will be okay. Trust me."

Odd nodded and said, "Okay."


	10. Chapter 10: Home

**A/N:** Sorry about all these delayed updates. This semester has been kicking my ass.

 **Chapter 10: Home**

Throughout the first two weeks of Odd's hospital stay, Ulrich, Yumi, Jeremie, and Aelita continued to do all they could to help him through his recovery. This usually meant calming his panic by helping assure him the doctors were not there to hurt him. On top of that, they could only get a couple of words from him.

It was beyond strange having the usually talkative person they had known not be able to carry on a conversation properly. It was as though he forgot how to talk, or rather, was becoming accustomed to being _allowed_ to talk. They all had a heart-wrenching feeling that this was true. Whatever occurred in wherever the heck Odd had been, his voice had obviously not been worth anything; nothing positive at least.

The severe case of pneumonia that had been harrowing his body was finally subsiding, the serious malnutrition having prolonged the recovery time. His body was also free of the oxygen mask and the nasogastric tube. Although the tube was no longer being used, however, he still did not eat much. That was just as abnormal to witness as the anti-social behavior because they were so used to him trying to eat the cafeteria out of food.

It was the day before he was to be discharged from the hospital that Anthea infomed them of what she and Franz had planned.

"He's going to live with us?" Aelita asked happily.

She, Ulrich, Yumi, and Jeremie were sitting in the kitchen of the hermitage. This had become a common activity of theirs. Mr. and Mrs. Hopper had become like second parents to Ulrich, Jeremie, and Yumi, and the two adults were always happy to have them over.

"Yep," Anthea said with a smile. "After all, he has nowhere else to go. No one knows where his father and mother are, and frankly we have a feeling he shouldn't go back with them anyway."

"What about Kadic?" Ulrich asked. "He can stay in my room. We were supposed to be roommates after all."

"Well, dear, I don't think that's an option right now," Anthea said as she clipped the end of a rose stem. "He's not ready to go back to school. That's what doctor Enzo told us."

"Makes sense, but will he at least do home schooling?" Jeremie asked.

"Einstein…always worried about school," Yumi teased, earning her a narrow-eyed look.

"He may not be laughing, talking, and eating like he used to, but I know for sure his lack of interest in school has not changed," Ulrich joked.

"Still not getting much out of him, huh?" Anthea asked.

She had decided to leave the group to their own devices. She and Franz had visited multiple times, but had not within the past few days.

"No," Aelita said sadly. "It's just so weird…"

"Give him time. He'll become more like his old safe eventually."

"Yeah, but never completely," Jeremie said.

"Well that's negative," Aelita glared.

"Sorry, but it's true. He'll never be exactly the same as he was. We may not know exactly what has happened, but we do know that it was…not pleasant…"

Ulrich and Yumi were looking down at the table. They were well aware of what Jeremie was talking about. Aelita then realized that what he said was true as well.

After all, she herself still had nightmares of X.A.N.A and the scyphozoa. Jeremie still found himself waiting for the alert from his laptop signaling that X.A.N.A was attacking yet again. Ulrich and Yumi still felt the same pang of alertness whenever their cell phones rang just in case it was one of the others telling them that the computer virus was attacking.

… … … … … … … … …

Odd pulled the purple t-shirt over his head and slipped his feet into a pair of black Sperry shoes. Aelita had told him that the clothes had been retrieved from his house and brought to the hermitage. A white cane lay retracted and neglected on the bed side table. The doctors had given it to him to help guide him around.

Though his right arm and shoulder were no longer immobilized, it still ached. He had been prescribed some sort of pain medicine for the time being. The doctors had told him that the afflicted area could flare up even later on down the road.

He brought his left hand up and felt the thick scar tissue.

The sound of the door quietly squeaking open made him turn his head in its direction.

"Ready to be dispatched from this prison?" Ulrich asked, gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb.

Odd blinked and gave a small smile, but did not say anything.

Jeremie grabbed the cane and was about to extend it when he realized that Odd had no intention of using it. He had latched on to Ulrich's jacket sleeve without a single word. So, Jeremie put the cane in his own book bag.

Ulrich glanced at Jeremie before smiling at his best friend.

"Come on, good buddy. Time to go home."

… … … … … … … … …

The first thing Odd noticed about his new home was the slight scent of flowers.

The second thing he noticed were how many birds were singing. It was as though he had stepped into a peaceful environment where nothing went wrong…ever.

Anthea walked ahead of everyone and unlocked the front door, leaving it open for the group of teenagers to walk inside first.

The house smelled like candles, fabric softener, and something else. That something else could only be described as comfort. Walking inside the hermitage with his best friends brought immediate solace. Odd released his hold on Ulrich's sleeve.

Although he could not see any of what was around him, the gang watched as his eyes scanned around instinctively.

"Welcome home!" Aelita sang, looping her arm in his. "I'll show you around. I know you've been to the hermitage but you've never had a _bedroom_ at the hermitage!"

Odd allowed Aelita to drag him around the house. Ulrich, Yumi, and Jeremie watched in amusement as Aelita dragged him from room to room. When she carefully guided him up the stairs, they listened as she talked to him excitedly.

"I don't care what you guys say, I don't think she's happy about this living arrangement at all," Ulrich said sarcastically as they began walking up the stairs.

"And last but not least…" Aelita announced as they walked up behind them. "Your room!"

The walls were a deep purple. The duvet cover on the bed was black and the pillow shams were pink. The pillows were extras from her room but she remembered how much he enjoyed those two colors together.

Aelita walked to the bed and sat down on it, dragging him down with her.

"So, I say again…welcome home!" Aelita said happily.

There were a few seconds of silence as Odd processed everything. His eyes were once again scanning the room out of unconscious habit.

"Home…?" He asked softly, finally speaking.

"Home," Yumi ensured, sitting on his other side.

"I mean, it's no Kadic Academy with your best bud Ulrich, but…it'll do," Ulrich shrugged.

"Yeah, here you actually get warm water that lasts longer than fifteen minutes…let alone a bathroom you don't have to share with a bunch of other people," Jeremie said, making Ulrich shoot him a short glare.

There was a knock on the open door and they looked up to see Anthea in the doorway.

"So, how's it going? Finish the tour?" she asked.

"Yep. This was the last stop," Aelita answered.

"I know this is a lot to take in all at once, sweetie, but…we are more than happy to have you here with us," she said as she knelt down in front of Odd.

"This is…too much," he said and she smiled.

"Don't be silly! Don't you worry about a thing, okay?"

Odd clenched the blanket and looked to the side, posture slumping.

"Thank you…"

… … … … … … … … …


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Unexpected Visitor**

Aelita had stayed home from school for a couple of days to help Odd adjust further. Everything was going smoothly. Odd was beginning to smile and speak more. Every time this happened, Aelita and the others felt their hearts leap with joy. Everything was slowly but surely coming together again.

Ulrich, Jeremie, and Yumi would come over immediately after school, and once Aelita returned to Kadic, they continued that trend.

Odd had decided to start helping out as much as possible around the hermitage and with the flower shop. Anthea was quite happy to have someone around to help her while Franz was at work and Aelita was at school. She taught him where to clip the stems of roses by way of feel. He had memorized where each type of flower and plant were by touch as well, but it certainly helped that they were all organized. Odd had also memorized how much water each plant took. Anthea always kept everything orderly in her greenhouse and garden so there was no worry of anything being in the way for Odd to trip over.

When it came to customers, Odd always pointed them toward the house, typically without speaking, and Anthea would assist them.

Another aspect that Odd had become accustomed to with living at the hermitage was the cats. The Hopper's did not officially own any, but they had taken it upon themselves to feed the strays. It had started with only one that showed up on their back porch; it snow-balled from there. They would leave bowls of food and water out for them every morning and every night.

One cat in particular had taken a liking to Odd. He was deep black with wide, yellow eyes. Aelita had named him Étoile because his pupils were so large they looked as though they could fit the moon and stars. Aelita was a tad jealous over the attention that the cat gave Odd because up until then it had only let her pet him twice. Yet, it liked to follow Odd around and even ride on his shoulders during his daily routine outdoors. Aelita could tell that Odd enjoyed the company, however, so she kept her complaining to a minimum.

It had been two weeks since Odd had begun living at the hermitage. Though he did not know the time of day, he suspected that Ulrich, Yumi, Jeremie, and Aelita would be arriving soon. They had all excitedly spoke of staying the night over there since it was a Friday.

Odd was standing in the garden, clipping the stems of some Sunsprite roses. He placed each one into a plastic bin that sat on the peeling, white bench that resided in the garden. Anthea had said that a soon-to-be bride asked for a "crap-ton" of yellow and white roses for the wedding.

When he placed yet another yellow rose in the bin, he heard Étoile give an angry growl from behind him and leap up onto his shoulders.

Odd gave the cat a confused look and lifted his hand so the cat could rub against it in comfort. Étoile gave a soft meow.

"Doesn't like me much," came a voice from behind Odd, startling him.

Odd whipped around, clippers still in his hand though were now being held in a bit of a death grip.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," the voice said again.

It sounded so familiar. Why could he not pinpoint who it was?

"Hey, man, come on. I cut my final class so I could come say 'hey.' The least you could do is talk to me," the voice said with slight humor.

It was then that it dawned on him and his grip on the clippers loosened.

"W-William?"

"There ya go," William said, giving a grin.

"Sorry…I…I couldn't-"

"I know," William said, a saddened look falling over his face but not letting it come out in his voice. "I heard it through the grapevine. Must suck."

"I've gotten pretty used to it," Odd said, setting the clippers down on the bench.

William nodded and walked closer, feeling more at ease doing so with the clippers being out of Odd's hand.

The black-haired teen still stood quite a bit taller and Odd could almost feel it as he felt the presence get closer.

The black cat gave a low growl and William narrowed his eyes.

"All I did was try and pet you!"

Odd laughed a bit, "Yeah. He's kind of an asshole."

"Seems to like you though," William said.

"Yeah, I don't know why," Odd responded, putting his hand on the cat's head and scratching behind his ears. "He'll just have to get used to you first."

William scoffed.

"I can try, but it doesn't seem like your buddy Ulrich wants me to come over."

Odd furrowed his eyebrows at this. None of the others had ever really gotten over the fact that William had gotten possessed by X.A.N.A and terrorized them for months.

"I asked them if I could come see you when I heard you were back and they said it wouldn't be a good idea," William continued. "Seemed like a good idea to me so here I am."

Odd smiled a bit and said, "Yeah, here you are."

William felt his heart flutter a bit. Odd's features had matured since the last time he had seen him. He had grown only a little bit and somehow he was even skinnier than before. Although his eyes were clouded over and a circular scar sat on one of them, the sparkle was still there. That twinkle that he absolutely adored.

"Sorry, I'm sure they were just looking out for me," Odd said, breaking William from his thoughts.

"Yeah…so anyway, I was wondering-"

"William?"

It was Yumi's voice that said it, but Odd knew the others were there as well.

They walked through the gate that had been left open, signaling that the flower shop was open.

"Hey," William said nonchalantly, even though he knew he was in deep shit.

Yumi and Jeremie crossed their arms and Ulrich stomped forward.

"What the hell are you doing here? Didn't we tell you not to-"

"It's okay, Ulrich. He was just coming over to talk," Odd said as Étoile jumped from his shoulders and onto the ground.

Ulrich continued glaring at William but nodded.

Aelita bent down to pet the black cat and was thrilled when it did not dart away from her.

"Well, since you're here, would you like to maybe stay for dinner tonight?" Aelita asked in a friendly manner.

Everyone looked at her with surprise, including William. Aelita was one of the nicest of the group, yet she had had her fair share of not trusting the raven-haired boy.

"Um…sure," William answered awkwardly.

Aelita gave him a small smile.

Ulrich and Yumi looked at each other. William tried to ignore them and instead looked back at Odd who had simply begun clipping the rose stems once again.

This was going to be an interesting night.


End file.
